In this issue: "What is the best first camera to get?" Part Three (nature & landscape photography); "What should the environmentally conscientious hiker/camper be aware of?" Part One; "What do you feed your dogs?" Part Three; and maintaining cardio and strength training while living in a van.

ART. all things art/business.

A subscriber asked, "What is the best first camera to get?" -- Part Three.

[Click here to revisit Part Two and Click here to t Part One.]

Nature and Landscape photography doesn't necessarily require speed since your subject doesn't run across a prairie at 30-40 mph. As such, it's less important that autofocus is lightning fast, or that the buffer speed is the highest of any camera on the market, or even that the camera has the highest frame rate (fps). What you might be looking for instead is a higher dynamic range, a weather-sealed body and lenses, higher resolution, and in-body and lens-based image stabilization. Additionally, some nature and landscape photographers enjoy special features like in-camera image stacking, and much more common features like an interval timer (for time-lapse creation) and a regular 2- and 10-second timer (if you don't have a remote shutter release). While we're only talking about cameras right now, you'll likely also want to look into wide-angle lenses, tripods and filters.

NATURE. all things nature/outdoors.

A subscriber asks, "What should the environmentally conscientious hiker/camper be aware of?"

The Leave No Trace website lays out the seven principles quite nicely. Something I'm currently struggling with as a backpacker is single use plastic. I've tried various replacements to ziplock bags and none are as flexible, inexpensive, and seal out moisture as well as those dang plastic baggies. Reusing them is generally not an option on my backpacking trips, because I'm packing all of my food into them at the beginning of the trip and by the end of the trip that plastic is nasty. The reason I don't keep the food in its original packaging is because it's big and bulky and doesn't fit in a bear bag or bear can well enough to get all of my food inside for a single trip. Current alternatives to ziplock bags are either still too bulky or don't seal out moisture. One season my mom made me baggies of various sizes out of flour sack cloth, which are totally awesome but still don't make the cut for holding most dehydrated and freeze-dried backpacking food. My best option so far is compostable ziplock baggies, but I'm always on the lookout for other ideas. I'm currently using a Hydrapak Seeker to hold unfiltered water and a wide mouth Nalgene bottle for drinking, both reusable for years if taken care of and cleaned well after each trip. The waterproof bags that I use to compartmentalize other gear in my pack are reusable as well, and generally speaking I use the same gear for as many seasons as I can (certainly for years, often decades). When I upgrade gear, I donate or sell the old stuff so that it can continue being used for as long as possible. Despite being known as minimalists ("ultralight" in backpacker terminology), backpackers can be quite wasteful, particularly when it comes to going through gear, and I'm trying to be less so. Now that I finally have my pack weight dialed in for my older body 😂, I feel pretty good about the gear I have and find myself looking at new gear a lot less. I gotta give the gear companies credit, though. Many are starting to be more eco-conscious by making PFAS-free gear, "poop kits" that assist with faster decomposition, pee rags and bidets as alternatives to using toilet paper (please pack it out if you do use TP, even though you'll likely be putting it in a single use plastic baggie--*sigh*--we have to choose our battles), compostable packaging and more. It's nice just to know that more people are starting to consider the negative impacts of outdoor activities on wildlife and wild places. That's a good place to start.

DOGS. all things dogs.

What do you feed your dogs?" -- Part Three.

[Click HERE for Part One and HERE for Part Two.]

There are a few canine calorie calculators (say that three times fast!) online that will tell you approximately how many kcals per day your dog needs based on target weight and activity level. I had been using this one by Dog Food Advisor until I found Vetcalculators' Caloric Requirements, which offers a number of other useful calculators as well, like chocolate toxicity. As I mentioned in Part One, I feed Japhy and Hazel two different kinds of Inukshuk Pro--one with a higher protein-to-fat ratio during backpacking season and one with a lower protein-to-fat ratio in the off-season. This is because they obviously need more calories when we're on the trail busting out miles every day, but if I fed them that same food in the off-season they would quickly gain a lot of extra weight. To keep them in their best shape year-round, I adjust their food accordingly, in both type and amount.

If you've gone to the vet clinic recently, the chart below may look familiar. It hangs in nearly every clinic room I've been in and shows how to determine if your dog is overweight. It also assigns a Body Condition System number/ranking to each scenario. One of the reasons I prefer the Vetcalculators' Caloric Requirements calculator is because it takes this Body Condition Score into account in its calculations instead of only relying on weight and activity level. This way you're getting a calculated amount that is actually healthy for your dog and doesn't just perpetuate an unhealthy weight.

To summarize, I pay close attention to my dogs' weight all year 'round and adjust the type and amount of food they eat accordingly. Currently, based on Japhy & Hazel's needs, I prefer Inukshuk dry food because 1) they like it; 2) they offer a variety of protein-to-fat ratios to fit our differing needs; 3) they offer one of the highest protein-to-fat ratios of any food I've seen, which is beneficial to our highly active lifestyle; and 4) the ingredients are among the best of any dry food available.

Dry food works best for our lifestyle, and I'm thrilled that I discovered Inukshuk almost a decade ago. This food is what mushers in Canada feed their sled dogs. On the flip side, raw food (which is all the current rage) does not fit our lifestyle and would likely result in contamination and sickness.

Try not to let the latest fad dog foods distract you. Talk to your vet, adjust to your dog(s)' needs, pay attention to your dog(s)'s weight and gut/overall health, and do what's best for your dog(s).

VAN/LIFE. all things life, including van life.

When I lived in the back house apartment in Lubbock, I liked to go for a run in the mornings before sunrise. It was a good way to set the tone for the day, boost my energy level and shake the stiffness out of my body. Since moving into the van I've found it more difficult to find the time and places to run. Some of that is due to the unpredictability of van life. Much of it is due to getting out of the routine and finding it hard to get back into it. I recently celebrated my 49th birthday which I used as a reset button of sorts. I'm actively seeking out ways to maintain a cardio routine as well as get in some strength training while on the road. My ideas so far: 1) be okay with running without the dogs. Some areas just aren't safe for the dogs to run with me, and I need to be okay with that. If the area and temperature are safe for the dogs to remain in the van, I can run without them. I intend to start making it a habit to scope out a potential running path in an area before parking. Currently we're at my parents' place, which is rural farmland with areas of hardwood forest and plenty of dirt roads. I've started running at sunrise again with the dogs off-leash. When we leave here, it will get complicated again, but I need to figure out ways to continue running, or get my cardio in other ways. 2) Find other ways to get in cardio that are suitable to living in a van. One example: jumping rope. Easy to stuff in a small space in the van. Easy to step out of the van and use it in almost any place we might be parked. 3) For strength training, I'm going to invest in a set of resistance bands or ropes. I'm still researching brands (if anyone out there has a recommendation for the best set to get, let me know), but this option checks all of my requirements (small and easy to store in the van + easy to use outside of the van pretty much anywhere we might park and even inside the van to a certain degree). I'm making this year one of getting back on track with my physical health, because I'm determined to keep moving in all the ways I love for as long as I possibly can.

Here's a highlight clip from this morning's run with the dogs. If it doesn't play here, head on over to my Instagram feed and watch it there.

Until next time, be kind and be well. Get outside and move a little if you can.